Writers’ roundtable

Thursday’s game against Toronto is the most anticipated of the season not only because former Spur Kawhi Leonard returns, but DeMar DeRozan also faces his former team.

Photo: Jerry Lara / Staff Photographer

Is Thursday’s game against Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors the most anticipated game of the year so far?

Finger: Of course. It will be unlike anything this organization ever has experienced, as the Spurs never have had a player of Leonard’s caliber leave at the peak of his career, and never have been subjected to the kind of soap opera that surrounded his exit. And we haven’t even gotten to the part where DeMar DeRozan gets his first shot at the team that traded him. It will be weird and awkward for everybody. That’s why people can’t wait.

McDonald: I don’t mean this to be facetious at all, but are we sure Leonard is going to show up? The Raptors have been judicious in holding Leonard out of certain road games this season, with the phrase “load management” replacing the infamous “return from injury management” as the official reason for his absences. It’s a long flight from Toronto to San Antonio. The Raptors don’t play again until Saturday at Milwaukee. Would it be so surprising if Leonard just opts to meet them there? All that said … if Leonard does show, yes, his return represents the most anticipated game of the season given the drama and unpleasantness that precipitated his departure. And even if he doesn’t, fan-favorite Danny Green will be back in town with Toronto.

Moyle: For the fans (and maybe former Raptor DeMar DeRozan), absolutely. Peruse Spurs Twitter for a couple minutes, and you’ll find no lack of vitriol. There is still some intense hatred remaining over Leonard’s perceived slight to an organization that is as intertwined with its city as any in the nation. I doubt Popovich and Co. will approach this matchup any differently, but the atmosphere alone will make this the most intriguing home game of the season.

Orsborn: Absolutely, hands down, you bet it is. Beyond gauging how fans will vent their ill feelings toward Leonard, it’s also a good chance to see how the Spurs measure up against an elite team. And let’s not forget it’s also Danny Green’s first game back. (Miss him in the role of media go-to-guy at shootarounds and pregame.)

How do you think the fans are going to react to Leonard if he plays?

Finger: It’s not a given that he will play, obviously, as teams occasionally give stars a night off and this would be a convenient one for the Raptors. But if Leonard takes the court, he will receive a few polite hand-claps from a handful of fans, and he’ll be booed mercilessly by the vast majority of the rest. That’s why most people bought tickets.

McDonald: Spurs fans will boo him to kingdom come. In the minds of most San Antonians, Leonard will always be the guy who broke up a potential NBA Finals team for reasons that still haven’t been fully explained. People here feel jilted, and are awaiting that cathartic moment to let the man who jilted them know. The Spurs organization, meanwhile, would prefer to avoid any kind of ugly scene. If Spurs brass had their way, they’d be able to produce a welcome back video honoring the four-time All-Star and 2014 Finals MVP — as well as Green — without setting Leonard up to be catcalled. I just don’t see how it’s possible. Feelings here are still too raw, based on the straw poll of fans I’ve talked to.

Moyle: Let’s hope Kawhi does play because watching him run around stone-faced as fans pelt him with boos and all sorts of verbal taunts would be must-see television. There might be a few Leonard loyalists lingering in San Antonio, but they’ve all been shunned like lepers. Spurs fans are among the most prideful in the country, and they did not take kindly do last year’s season-long drama. I’m interested to see how creative they get with the Leonard hatefest.

Orsborn: Seems like whenever I run into someone around town I haven’t seen in a while, they inevitably turn the conversation around to Leonard, and our chats become an opportunity for them to spew out their anger. Those encounters underscore how upset many people were about last season’s epic drama and their frustration over seeing him thrive with the Raptors. That’s a long way of me saying it’s not going to be pretty Thursday night - at least by San Antonio standards.

The Spurs ring in the New Year by playing the Celtics. What should their goals be in 2019?

Finger: Short-term, the objective is to continue the way they played for most of December, a month in which they were statistically the best team in the NBA. This summer will bring a whole new set of questions about the direction of the franchise, and it’s difficult to even speculate about the answers until we see how the next few months play out.

McDonald: Find a path to the playoffs. Considering all that has happened to them in the past 12 months, with the roster makeover Leonard’s departure forced, simply getting into the field of eight in the Western Conference will be an accomplishment. If they can get themselves together in such a fashion to make a deeper run in a conference that appears more wide-open than it’s been in quite some time, that would be a bonus.

Moyle: 1) Keep pushing for a playoff spot, and 2) Try to figure out what they might have in rookie Lonnie Walker IV. The Spurs seems destined to battle for one of the West’s final spots, and a 22nd consecutive trip to the postseason is probably going to come down to the final week of the season. As for Walker, we’re still awaiting his NBA debut. He’s struggled with his shot down in the G-League but the 2018 draft’s 18th overall pick is still working his way back from a torn meniscus.

Orsborn: Forget about the standings and just continue to work on getting better, especially defensively. But of course, that’s always been Gregg Popovich’s approach to every season. It’s really been impressive of late to see the defensive turnaround and how all the pieces seem to be slowly coming together.

2018 brought a lot of developments for the Spurs. What will you remember most from the year?

Finger: It seems silly to answer this with anything unrelated to the Leonard saga, which basically kept the franchise frozen for the first seven months of the year, then altered the organization irrevocably, then led to a season in which the team had to reevaluate almost everything. The Leonard story introduced us all to tendinopathy, “return from injury management,” and Uncle Dennis, and few of us ever will forget it.

McDonald: Leonard’s acrimonious departure has to top the list. The whole situation was weird, starting with an injury most laypeople had never heard of before, giving way to the will-he or won’t-he return saga, ultimately giving rise to the summertime trade to Toronto. The Spurs have been lucky for the better part of two decades not having to deal with such drama. The whole thing was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Moyle: For me, what stood out most wasn’t even a moment from the season - it was Manu’s retirement announcement. San Antonio has dealt with the will-he-won’t-he for a few summers, but after 23 incredible pro seasons (16 with the Spurs) one of the greatest international players in NBA history decided to call it a career. He’s a no-doubt Hall of Famer. First ballot. And those who grew up watching him will be passing down Manu tales to their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It was an emotional moment for the city that showed just what kind of effect one special athlete can have. There won’t ever be another quite like him.

Orsborn: What stands out to me is how quickly everything changed. No more Tony Parker. Kyle Anderson in Memphis. Leonard and Green shipped to Canada. Manu Ginobili retiring. Seemingly overnight, we found ourselves in a new world.